The month of October usually begins with a lot of excitement on everyone’s face since it marks the beginning of many festivals. The month starts with the celebration of Navaratri, followed by grand celebrations of the Dussehra festival.

Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashmi is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India. In the northern and western parts of India, people celebrate Dussehra to mark the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. On the other hand, people living in the eastern and southern parts of India celebrate this day as the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil demon Mahishasura.

The name of the festival, Dussehra is derived from the Sanskrit words dasha (“ten”) and hara (“defeat”). For many Indians, Dussehra marks the beginning of the preparation of one of the most important festivals, Diwali which falls 20 days after Dussehra Day.

Dussehra 2023 Date and Time

In 2023, Dussehra will be celebrated on the 24th of October. Dashmi tithi starts at 05:44 PM on October 23, 2023, and ends at 12:00 PM on October 24, 2023.

The nine auspicious days of Navaratri 2023 are on:

Day 1	15th October 2023	Goddess Shailputri
Day 2	16th October 2023	Goddess Brahmacharini
Day 3	17th October 2023	Goddess Chandraghanta
Day 4	18th October 2023	Goddess Kushmanda
Day 5	19th October 2023	Goddess Skandmata
Day 6	20th October 2023	Goddess Katyayani
Day 7	21st October 2023	Goddess Kaalratri
Day 8	22nd October 2023	Goddess Mahagauri
Day 9	23rd October 2023	Goddess Siddhidatri
Day 10	24th October 2023	Dussehra

Dussehra 2023 Celebrations

Dussehra is celebrated with great pomp and show across several parts of India. People worship Maa Shailaputri on the first day of Navaratri, followed by the worship of Maa Chandraghanta, Maa Skandmata and the other avatars of Goddess Durga on respective days.

People organise different skits, dance performances, and dramas, related to Ramayana. Through Ramleela, people depict the story of how Maa Sita was kidnapped by Ravana and how Lord Rama fought with Ravana and rescued Maa Sita.

Facts About The Festival

Ravana is described with 10 heads and 20 arms. His ten heads, as per the mythology, represent ten bad qualities of a person: Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Moha (delusion), Chitta (will), Lobha (greed), Manas (mind), Mada (pride), Buddhi (intellect), Maatsyasya (envy), and Ahamkara (the ego).
It is believed that this festival has been celebrated since the 17th century after the King of Mysore ordered the state to celebrate and enjoy Dussehra in full glory.
Apart from India, Dussehra is also celebrated in other countries like Nepal and Bangladesh.
It is believed that on this day, Goddess Durga arrives with her children Ganesh and Kartikey and returns to Lord Shiva.

What to Eat on Dussehra

There are some delicious food items that should be eaten on this festival as they bring good luck. Some of the dishes are:

Rasgulla, which is widely popular in West Bengal
Paan, which is considered quite lucky in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Sweet Dosa, which is offered as Prasadam on Dussehra and Saraswati Puja.
Curd, which is considered a lucky food item since decades and is offered to Maa Durga on Dussehra.